Illuminated sign.



- Patented Oct. 2I, |902.

H. S. KEMP.

ILLUMINATED SIGN.

(Application mea Feb. 25, 1902.)

I(No Model.)

UNITED TaTns PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY SUMNER KEMP, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE REVERSIBLE ELECTRIC CAR SIGN y CO.,` OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

ILLUMINATED SIGN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 711,868, dated October 21, 1902.

Application filed February 25, 1902. Serial No. 95,600. (No modelJ To all whom, t 71mg/ concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY SUMNER KEMP, a citizen of the United States,residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Illuminated Signs,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to illuminated signs, and while it is capable of many different uses it is especially adapted for connection With street-cars or like vehicles, in which field it may be detachably mounted upon a dash, so that at the end of a run it may be taken from what is for the time being the front dash and applied to the opposite dash, the removal of the sign breaking the electric circuit, in which a lamp forming part of said' sign is located,

thereby extinguishing the lamp, and hence saving the current. The arrangement issuch that when the sign is put up the circuit in which the said lamp is located Will be established, thereby lighting the lamp.

It will be obvious from the following description that in some ,cases the sign proper may be dispensed with and the device employed simply as a headlight.

The improved sign includes in its construction a casing which has contacts adapted to be connected with a suitable source of electricity, a body adapted to carry an electric lamp and provided With a stem also carrying contacts andarranged to be slipped into the casing from below the same, and means for detachably holding the body in place with the contacts on the stern in engagement with the contacts in the casing, and it is stated that the terms hereinbefore employed are used in their broad senses to include equivalent parts.

` The contacts in the casing are preferably of the spring kind, and'they are of such form that they exert their effects in transverse directions against the stem when the same is inserted into the casing, thereby holding such stem, and consequently the body of the sign, against rattling. A spring-actuated latch iS usually .provided to engage the stein to hold the sign in place.

The casing hereinbefore alluded to is of imperforate form, so that it will serve to protect i the contacts therein from the action of hail,

sleet, or the like, which if they reached such contacts Would render the establishment of a circuit upon the placing of the sign in position impossible. The casing,'which is conveniently located upon the dash of the car, is of box-like form, its top, sides, and front being closed to secure the object hereinbefore specified, while its bottom is open, so the stem of the sign can be thrust therento, and it will be understood` that each dash carries a casing and that the sign is common to both casings.

The invention includes other objects and advantages, which will be set forth at length in the following description, while the novelty thereof will form the basis of the claims succeeding such description, and said invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in Which- Figure l is a perspective view of the dash of a car carrying one of the casings and also showing the sign, the latter being disrnounted. Fig. 2 is a vertical central sectional elevation of the dash, casing, and sign, the latter being shown as located in place. Fig. 3 is a plan view ot' t-he same with part of the shell of the sign broken away. Figa is a rear elevation of the sign and casing, the upper part of the figure being in section; and Fig. 5 is a bottom plan View of the casing.

Like characters refer to like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

.' The sign includes in its construction a body, as 5, which may be of any suitable shape or material, but which is represented as consisting of a coucavo-convex metallic shell the conoaved surface of which is situated at the front thereof. A lamp 6, which is shown as being of the incandescent kind, is inclosed in the concaved portion of the shell 5, which serves as a suitable housing therefor. open and is adapted to beclosed by the sign proper, as 7, adapted to be introduced into place from one side of the shell and to fit into the groove or slideway S in said shell. The sign includes a translucent plate 9, surrounded by a metallic'f rame 10, the said plate bear- The forward side of the shell 5 issuitable means.

ing suitable characters which are made visible at night when the lamp 6 is lighted by the formation of an electric circuit, as will be hereinafter described. Said translucent plate 9 may be made of any suitable or desired material-such as glass or mica or celluloid.

The sign proper, 7, is held in place by any For this purpose a bifurcated fastener 11 is shown the branches of which are adapted to be passed through the tubes 12, carried by the fralne 10 and shell 5, respectively, asindicated in Fig. 1. When the fastener 1l is lifted from its seat or normal position, (and it has an eye 13 at the top to facilitate this operatiom) the sign 7 can be easily removed and one of' a diiferent kind substituted therefor, and when the new sign is in its normal'position the fastener 11 will be put into place.

The shell 5 is represented as provided upon its rear with a vertical stem or post 14 of any suit-able material, held in place by clips/,ias 15, one located above the other and suitably fastened to the respective parts. It will be seen that the stein or post 14 extends above the upper edge of the shell 5, so that the upper projecting end of said stein can be inserted into the open lower end of a casing carried by a car, and when the stem has fully entered into the casing it will be locked in place, as will hereinafter fully appear. The stem or post 14 is shown as longitudinally bored at 16, andthe cross-bore 17 opens into the longitudinal bore, as seen in Fig. 4. The bore 16 incloses the conductors 18 and 19, connected at their lower ends with the filament of the lamp 6 and at their upper ends to the contacts 2O and 21, oountersunk into the two bores hereinbefore mentioned.

Referring now to Fig. 1, a dash is shown at 22, and it carries at a suitable height the casing 2v This easing has a closed top, sides, and front, and its open-back snugly receives the back piece 24, (see Fig. 2,) which can be united by suitable fastenings to the dash 22, a like fastening also passing through the `upturned liange 25 upon the top of ,said casing 23. I secure to the front wall by suitable means the block 26, which is recessed to receive the block 27, of some non-conducting material, such as slate and which is held in some suitable manner in its recess and which carries upon its inner face the contact 28, which is shown as consisting of a bowed spring. Ablock 2 0, also of non-conducting material, is secured suitably to .one side of the casing 23, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, and it carries upon its inner face a spring-con tact 30, shown as a doublebowed spring. The spring-contacts 2S and 30 are connected Y with conductors or wires 3ll and 32, respecing 23 is open,'and when the stem 14 of the sign is inserted intosaid open bottom and thrust upward and when the contacts 20 and 21 are brought into engagement with the spring-contacts 28 and 30, respectively, the circuit containing the lamp 6 will be thereby closed, so as to light said lamp and secure the proper display of the signnpon the plate 9.

To facilitate the raising and lowering of the sign, the upper side of the shell is -provided with a handle 33, which may consist of a bail.

In Figs. 2 and 4 vthe stem 40, which carries the contacts 20 and 21, is shown in its normal position, such contacts vbeing in engagement with the spring-contacts 2S and 30, and it will be seen that the spring-contacts 28 and 30 exert their eiects in transverse directions, the result being that the stem is forced solidly against the fixed or rigid part of the casing, thereby avoiding any tendency of the stem, and consequently of vthe pendent sign, to vibrate or rattle. I provide means for positively holding the sign in the normal position just indicated and will now proceed to describe a simple form of the same. The stem 14 has upon one side thereof the catchplate 34, let intoa suitable tenon in said face and having at its upper end the shoulder 35,

adapted to, be engaged by the latch 36, pivoted within the' case, at or near thelower end thereof, the latchbeing held in its effective positive by means of the coiled spring 37, surrounding the pin or stud 37 upon the latch. The latch 36 is shown as being pivoted within the casing,and when its lowerarm is pressed outward the upper or working arm thereof will be disengaged from the shoulder 35 of the catch-plate 34, so that the stern 14, and consequently the shell 5, can be lowered, and the instant that the contacts 2O and 2l pass 0E the contacts 28 and 30 the lamp will be eX- tinguished. Y When the stem as .it is introduced into the casing nearly reaches its normal position, the beveled shoulder of the catch-plate 34 will strike and force the working arm of the latch 36 outward, and as soon as said shoulder reaches a point above said working arm the latter will be sprung automatically into place by the relaxing coilspring 37, and of course when the contacts 20 and 2l and 2S and 30, respectively, are brought into engagement the lamp 6 will be lighted, so as to display the sign.

The shell 5 has one or more Ventilatingopenings, as38, and is provided with a hinged door 39, which can be opened to obtain access to the lamp 6 and which dooris normally held shut by a fastening, such as the fastener 11 hereinbefore described. t

As the casing 23 is imperforate, it serves thereby to protect the contactstherein from the elements. It will be understood that there are two of these casings, provided one upon each dash, and thatv the sign is interchangeable from one tothe other.

IOC

IIO

I do not limit the invention to the exact parts nor to the arrangement thereof hereinbefore specified, formany changes as to these points may be made within the scope of my claims.

In some casesthe sign proper may be dispensed with and the article used simply as a headlight, the term illuminated sign7 being simply employed as a convenient one.

Having described the invention, what I claim is- 1. In a device of the class described, a casing, a body adapted to be detachably connected with said casing and to carry an electric lamp, means for positively preventing vibration of the body and for carrying an electric current to said lamp, and a pivoted latch on the casing for holding thebody in place. f k

2. In a device of the class described, a casing, a body adapted to carry an electric lamp and having a stem adapted to be detachably fitted into said casing and means for engaging the stem to positively prevent the same from vibrating, said means constituting part of the circuit for supplying the electric current to said lamp, and a pivoted latch on the ,casing for engaging the said stem.

3. In a device of the class described, a casing having an open bottom and containing contacts, a concaved shell adapted to receive an electric lamp and provided with a translucent plate and also having a vertical stem adapted to be slipped into the casing from below the same, and said stem being furnished with contacts adapted to cooperate with the respective contacts in the casing, and a pivoted latch adapted to uphold the stem.

4. In a sign, the combination of a casing having spring-contacts adapted to exert their effects in transverse directions, and a body having a stem also provided with contacts adapted to engage said spring-contacts and the latter serving to hold the stem against vibration, and the casing having an opening to receive said stem, and the body being adapted to carry an electric lamp.

5. In a sign, the combination of a casing having bowed springs arranged to exert their eiects in transverse directions and serving as contacts, and a body adapted to carry a sign and provided with a stem adapted to enter the casing, and said stem having contacts adapted to engage said bowed-spring contacts and the latter serving to hold theA stern against vibration.

6. In a sign, the combination of a casing having spring-contacts adapted to exert their effects in transverse directions, a concaved shell provided with a translucent plate and adapted to receive an electric lamp, said shell being provided with a stem having contacts adapted to be engaged by the first-mentioned contacts, serving to prevent the stem from vibrating, and the stem being bored, and its bore having electric conductors adapted to those in the casing a plate set into a tenen in the stem and its upper end having a shoulder and a springactuated latch on the casing adapted to engage under said shoulder.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination of a casing having contacts and an opening in its bottom and the casing servf ing to protect such contacts from moisture, a concave shell adapted to receive an electric ilamp and having a translucent plate and a stem, the stem being provided with conductors adapted to engage the conductors in the casing, and a pivoted latch on the casing adapted to engage the stem to thereby uphold the same and a latch having a finger-piece extending below the lower end of the casing.

9. In a device of the class described, the combination of a casing having contacts within the same and the casing serving to protect said contacts from moisture, a concaved shell provided with a translucent plate and adapted to contain an electric lamp, said shell having clips on its rear side, a stem fitted to the shell and adapted to be held in place thereagainst by said clips, said stem being provided with contacts adapted to be electrically connected with said lamp and to engage the contacts in the casing and having a shoulder and a springactuated latch on the casing, adapted to engage under said shoulder and having a n gerpiece extending below said casing.

10. In a device of 'the class specified, the combination of a casing having contacts, a shell adapted to contain an electric lamp, and provided with a stern adapted to enter the casing, said stern having contacts adapted to engage those in the casing, a sign detachably mounted upon the shell, sleeves carried by the shell and sign, respectively, and a'bifurcated fastening, the branches of which are adapted to enter said sleeves 11. In a device, of the class described, the combination of a casing having contacts inside the same and the casing serving to protectsaid contacts, a concaved shell provided with a translucent plate and adapted to con-y ICO combination of e part having electric eonmy hand in presence of two subscribing Wit- Imets, a, body adapted to carry an eieenrie nesses.

am and rovided with a stern havinOr coni Y meng arranged to engage those on saidbfrst- HENRY SUMNER BEMP' 5 mentioned part, and a pivobed latch serving TWitnesses:

to hold the several contaetsin engagements. HEATH SUTHERLAND, f In testimony whereof I have hereunto seb A. B. LACY. 

